The Legend of Korra: Tigerlilly
by 23loveletters
Summary: The war is finally over and there are a few things Mako needs to get off his chest before Korra goes off to fulfill her avatar duties.


"Korra, do you think you have a minute?"

The avatar turned at the sound of her name, seeing her firebending friend shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. Mako stuffed his hands in his pockets, suddenly forgetting what it was he wanted to talk about.

Korra stepped away from the Airbending family and moved towards Mako.

"What is it? Is everything okay?"

Mako almost laughed at the question. The Equalists were gone, beaten and sentenced to serious jail time beneath the police headquarters. Amon had been taken down by Korra, finally reaching the avatar state and gaining more control than she'd ever had before. Now they all sat around the air bender island, taking sighs of relief and breaths of fresh air, all except for Mako. He was on edge, his body rigid and his breathing off. He knew that sooner or later, Korra would be leaving to go serve her avatar duties. There were things he needed to say before she was gone. He'd thought it over, what he'd say, even practiced in the mirror, but nothing prepared him for the real thing, the nervous gitters that caused his palms to sweat, the concerned look in Korra's blue eyes. Even with the war behind them, she was still worried about everyone else.

"I'm sorry," Mako blurted.

The words tumbled from his mouth with little prompting from his mind.

"I shouldn't have kissed you when I was with Asami." Mako paused. "I shouldn't have done a lot of the things I did. And I am so sorry for putting you in that position."

"I really am a jerkbender," he said as an afterthought.

Korra opened her mouth to speak, but Mako continued before she could get a word out.

"I know you're going to be leaving soon, to Ba Sing Se, I believe." Mako sheepishly took another pause. "I overheard you talking it over with Tenzin the other day. I don't know when you're leaving, but I have to tell you something before you go."

The racket around them halted, the only noise the sounds of their collective breathing. Mako moved closer to Korra and raised a hand to push a loose curl behind her ear. Korra's hair looked beautiful down, the dark brown waves flowing easily down her neck and shoulders. Mako shook himself, reminded of the conversation he was supposed to be finishing.

"I really care about you Korra, probably a lot more than I should. But you're the avatar. I know you can't be tied down to anyone or anywhere right now. It's just that… I couldn't let you leave (_me_) without telling you. I'd regret it for the rest of my life. Please, just keep that in mind while you're traveling and don't forget to pay me a visit when you come back to Republic City. Team Avatar won't be the same without you, but we'll try to keep the city from falling to pieces while your gone."

Silence met his smile once he'd finished his speech. The corners of his lips faltered.

"You don't forgive me do you?" Mako asked.

"That's not-"

"It's okay, I understand. I was stupid for thinking you'd just fall right into my arms with kisses and promises after all I've done to you and to Asami."

Korra let Mako ramble for a little longer, enjoying this nervous, unsure side of Mako, but soon, she did fall into his arms, kissing him much like she did the first time they'd kissed behind the probending arena during the tournament, with her emotions plain in the way she moved her lips against his, a blush coating her cheeks. And Mako responded just the same as he did before.

When they pulled away, there was no Bolin to come between them, no Asami for Mako to go back to. It was just the two of them, looking at each other, trying to explain their feelings with a simple gaze.

"I forgive you," Korra whispered, not wanting to ruin the quiet moment. Mako pulled her to his chest, hugging her tight, as though that simple act would keep her there and them in that moment forever.

"One more thing."

Mako reached into his pocket and pulled out a tigerlilly. Of course the flower was slightly wilted from being picked earlier in the evening, and a petal was missing from the original set. Still, the gesture made Korra smile. The flower fulfilled its intended purpose. Mako held the flower at to Korra, one hand grasping the stem, the other, interlacing their fingers together.

"I really like you, Korra," he started, smiling, "and I think we were meant to be together."

Korra couldn't help but recognize the words. They were the exact same ones she'd said to him so long ago. They'd grown so much since then, individually and together. They'd become a team. And maybe someday, they'd become partners… in marriage. Korra stopped her thinking, taking the flower in her hands and kissing Mako once again.

"Thank you, Mako. The flower's beautiful."

Mako took Korra's face in his hands.

"Not as beautiful as you. Never as beautiful as you."


End file.
